Seems like yesterday it was 2000 and we were all concerned that our computers were going to crash. Well, they didn’t and I expect you probably have a new one by now, one that is much more sleek and fast. My 2011 Mac is not taking updates, uh oh! Here it is 2019, technology has changed so much since I was a kid when we had black and white tvs and listened to the radio every morning. Thankful to still be able to walk in the woods or on the beach, breathe in fresh air and enjoy the peace and comforts of home. We may not always like change but we know it is necessary for progress.

Our meetings are shown on Facebook Live and on Youtube a day or two later which provides a first hand look at how council is working and what we are working on. As I stated when I ran, transparency in the Municipality is of utmost importance. Our CAO Victoria Brooks has provided us with quarterly reports which outline everything she and her staff have been doing. Included are directors reports and motions of council with action plans. These reports can be found on the MODY website. I am thankful that all of this information is now available to our constituents, a nice change from November 2016.

As for me, I am now the chair of the Doctor Recruitment and Retention committee which is made up of elected officials and staff of the three municipalities, Dr. Brian Moses, NSHA and Kerry Muise of the Chamber of Commerce and Brenda LeGrandeur of the Western Regional Enterprise Network. We are working together to come up with a comprehensive plan to entertain, engage and retain possible doctors in our region. We are also working closely with Karma Chickowski, Doc recruitment coodinator for NSHA. We are very fortunate that we are able to retain 75% of the residents from the Dalhousie Program. Unfortunately a big issue in recruitment is the lack of doctors going into family medicine.

We shuffled some of our committee responsibilities, the organizational chart can be found online.

The Port Maitland Fog Building will not be declared surplus at this time. In order to make use of the building it would have to be remediated. There is asbestos and lead paint in the building. The land around the building is contaminated. I do know that we can apply to the Federation of Canadian Municipalities for money for remediation of brownfields. I suggest members of the community form a committee to advocate for the preservation of the building and create a small museum featuring the history of fishing in Port Maitland.

I will continue to advocate for the safety of our waterfront when the temperature starts to heat up in the spring. It is imperative that all levels of government continue to monitor the water quality for contaminants and find a source if problems continue.

I hope to meet with Jennifer Angel of Develop NS soon to discuss Phase 2 of the Sandford Drawbridge project. It includes developing the area around the drawbridge with information panels and park benches to make it it more tourist friendly.

Congratulations to the Lakes and District Fire Department and the Port Maitland Fire Department on the construction of additions to their buildings. Both buildings desperately needed enlargements to house vehicles and provide room for training and other activities.

Some of you may have seen the article in the Yarmouth Vanguard about listing your homes and businesses in Screen Nova Scotia’s database called Starring Your Property. It is an opportunity to improve the chances of getting another movie filmed in Yarmouth County. The Lighthouse 2019 brought in over 5 million dollars to the area and we are all awaiting its release! Once the movie is released the Municipality is hoping to create some info panels to be placed on location at Cape Forchu. I have also highly recommended to the Municipalities and town that they list assets such as Cape Forchu and the airport on the site. Screen Nova Scotia is willing to promote our area if we give them the tools.

Many thanks to the lobster fishers in the area for keeping our economy growing! I would also like to thank the members of the Yarmouth Dispatch for a job well done!

As always, my door is open for discussion. Please give me a call or send me an email if you have concerns. patti@district.yarmouth.ns.ca

When the neighbours bring in their float from the lake and you have to light a fire in the cottage to stay warm, you know fall is here. Hope you have had a wonderful summer despite the lack of rain.

Yes, we are in the midst of another drought and I have read that this could be a trend so we have to “be prepared!” as the Boys Scout motto has been telling us for years. Stock up on drinking water, flush your toilet less often, do fewer loads of laundry and please do not water your lawn. The low water levels seem to be hitting us later this year than in 2016, when the Province declared that we were in an emergency state and supplied the Municipality with drinking water. Thus has not been the case so far this summer. The Council will be meeting on Wednesday to discuss the water issue. Please note, we do have a Water Supply Lending program which will allow you to borrow money at a low interest rate from the Municipality to drill a new well. The loan will be added to your tax bill. Please call the office at 9027427159 for more information. You can fill containers with water at the Mariner’s Centre and Arcadia School. There is a water support info sheet which can be found on the municipality’s website: www.district.yarmouth.ns.ca

I am hoping the repairs to the Sandford Drawbridge will begin soon. We are just waiting for the official announcement about the funding by the 3 levels of government. Members of Develop Nova Scotia visited the area this summer and met with Yarmouth and Acadian Shores Director, Neil MacKenzie, Hon. Zach Churchill and myself. We discussed the importance of the area as a tourist attraction and how it could be developed to provide unique experiences for visitors. They are considering a project in the area beyond just the repairs to the drawbridge, here’s hoping…!

We will be meeting with employees of Transportation, Infrastructure and Renewal in the near future. I have put the following issues on the list for discussion: widening of the shoulders of the road in Sandford and Main Shore Road from highway 1 to PM Beach, putting some gravel on Spider street to make it into a trail for walking, paving of Darlings Lake/ Short Beach Road and general regular maintenance of our gravel roads. Will let you know the results of the discussion.

There have been a number of meetings in regards to the Yarmouth Fire Department’s Dispatch Services. We had a presentation by Digby Dispatch services on Thursday evening which was very informative. We are very fortunate to have such a dedicated group of Fire Department volunteers who have our best interests at heart. The council and staff are doing their best to make the right decisions for our constituents. Please, please make sure you have a civic number clearly displayed on your property. If you do not have one, please contact the Municipality office to obtain one for free. It is imperative that emergency vehicles can find your property.

Unfortunately, Port Maitland Beach was closed for a few weeks this summer. We were all extremely disappointed to say the least. Thankfully the beach has reopened however we continue to question what caused the problem. At this point, I have not had a definitive answer. I spoke with a Department of the Environment staff member last week. They have checked the sewage treatment plant and it appears to be functioning properly. I know there has been much discussion in the community about the treatment plant. I will be asking the council to direct staff to organize an open house so residents can see how it works. The Dept. of Environment is continuing to investigate the area for sources of raw sewage and the scum. Thanks so much to the residents who sent emails and pictures. Please, if you see something that looks like raw sewage, take a picture and send it to them as soon as possible, they will come out and investigate right away now that a problem has been identified. As far as the beach is concerned, our area is not the source of a much larger issue. Scientists have stated that the combination of heat and lack of wind contributed to the growth of bacteria. The original source is still to be determined.

Finally, our Ferry Terminal is getting renovated. Huge thanks to MP. Colin Fraser, MLA Zach Churchill and the 3 local Municipal governments for coming together to contribute to this project. It demonstrates the importance of the continuation of the ferry services to Yarmouth which benefits the whole province. Looking forward to seeing the renovations begin.

L’Shana Tova ( A good and sweet year) to our Jewish residents.

Please email me at patti@district.yarmouth.ns.ca or call 902-746-3384 if you have questions or concerns. Our meetings are shown live on Facebook and are recorded and can be seen on youtube within a few days of the meeting.

It has been a busy time the last couple of months. Unfortunately, I had to miss a couple of meetings in February due to my mom being ill and having to spend time in Toronto. I am happy to report she is doing better and is still a spunky 92 year old.

In case you weren’t aware, the Municipality of Yarmouth, committee of the whole and regular meetings are now live streamed on Facebook and can also be viewed a couple of days after the meeting on youtube. I think it important that you can watch your councillors in action during and after the meetings.

In January, I made a motion to partner with Department of Natural Resources to look into improving the washroom facilities at Port Maitland Beach. During the March meeting I requested an update from the Interim CAO Greg Shay. The staff are looking into what facilities are in the parks now across Nova Scotia. We will schedule a meeting with DNR to discuss how we move forward with this much needed improvement to our park.

A grant request from Sandford Harbour Authority has been forwarded to the Province and to MODY. We will review this proposal at our upcoming grants to organizations meeting. I am fairly confident the request will be approved since it has already been discussed in previous meetings.

I have spoken to Don Houston from Transportation, Infrastructure and Renewal on a number of occasions with regards to gravel roads and he assures me they will be graded as soon as possible. We have talked about the road to the Sandford wharf and I am hoping they will look at putting in some armour stone there this spring. Our next meeting with TIR is in June and I will be bringing up the need for wider shoulders on the Main Shore Road through Sandford and the section from

Highway 1 to the beach.With the number of people walking, we need to consider safety.An addition to the Port Maitland sidewalk from the school to the Richmond Road will be considered in the future.

The Municipality has sold Arcadia School to the Y’ARC for their development. The property was split so we still retain the trail. Can’t disclose more than that at this time.

An RFP which closes on April 26, 2018, has been put in for a new Public Works building. This has been in the works for a number of years.

Have been busy interviewing for a new CAO. We had some great candidates, announcement will be made at the end of the month.

The water supply upgrade program is ready. If you interested in applying to borrow money to put in a new well, please contact the office. Remember the money will be added to your tax bill.

We are continuing to pursue Rural Internet with the assistance of the Western Regional Enterprise Network.A motion has been passed to research putting in a boardwalk along Lake Milo, a very worthwhile project.

Th Port Maitland Fire Department had their annual ratepayers meeting and have proposed a 40 foot extension to the firehall. A motion was passed to move forward with the next steps which include an engineers design and acquisition of permits.Thanks to all those who attended. Special thanks to Art Rose and Lew Outhouse for organizing the meeting, keeping the books and running our very important volunteer fire department. More thanks to all the volunteers, you are doing a great job and it is much appreciated.

Th Lake George Fire Department continues to hold Thursday Bingo Nights and are moving forward with their expansion.

By now, it has sunk in that we are in the midst of winter but the sun is shining and that makes everyone feel a little better.

Unfortunately I was unable to attend the Committee of the Whole Meeting on January 10th as I was away. There was a presentation by Patty-joe MacMillan, District Manager of the Department of the Environment on the topic of the Riparian buffer zone which is the edge of the waterline and what property owners must do to protect watercourses from impacts of development.

Janet Emin, President of the Friends of the Yarmouth Lighthouse Society updated the Councillors on the last season and asked for support of the construction of a ramp to make the fog alarm building accessible.

The Mariner’s Centre, YMCA and Curling group gave another presentation on the Mariner’s Expansion Project which is estimated at a cost of $30 million. This is a topic for the 3 councils to discuss at the next joint meeting, as it continues to be #3 on the joint council priority list. In the meantime, the curling club needed funds to replace equipment that was no longer functioning. All three municipal councils supported their request for funds and fortunately the club is now open for curling. They are still fundraising as the cost of replacement exceeded the amount that was initially required.

The CAO report can be found online on the MODY website.

A number of items were deferred to the regular council meeting which was held on January 24th. Please keep in mind that the Regular Meetings can be seen on Facebook Live and I have asked that they remain available until being posted on Youtube. I also made a motion to record the Committee of the Whole Meetings which passed unanimously. Transperancy for our constituents is very important.

Gus from Waste Check made a presentation on the issues we encounter with single use plastic bags. China is not taking them for recycling at present and if they have to be buried in the landfill, they take 1000 years to break down. The question was raised about a ban on single use plastic bags. Would like your thoughts please? The reusable ones used for groceries carry a greater risk for e coli if used for meat. In the meantime, you can request paper bags when you go to the grocery store. In addition, I suggest more stores use paper or recyclable bags. When you go to stores besides the grocery store, take a reusable bag; we often don’t think of using them in independent stores. As a business owner I intend to switch to paper as soon as my supply of plastic bags has diminished. Loren Cushing suggested that maybe we could find away to use the bags to manufacture something else in Nova Scotia.

The Municipality of Yarmouth has received much support from neighbouring communities with regards to getting Doppler Radar in South West Nova. The federal government has expressed that the present Doppler locations will be updated and new systems put in place. Our end of the province was not identified as getting a system and after looking at the map for coverage, the waters off Yarmouth County are still not adequately monitored. We will be meeting with Environment and Climate Change Canada on February 27th. Having the weather predicted with a high degree of accuracy is extremely important to our fishers.

I have attended the last two meetings of the Yarmouth International Airport Board. Alain Muise, CAO of Argyle has taken over as Interim Manager and is setting the stage for great progress. At present, our airport has been downgraded to 301 from 302 which means that we cannot have regularly scheduled service. A 302 regulated airport would require significant infrastructure improvements which would require millions of dollars.The good news is by downgrading to 301, the cost of maintaining the airport will go down.

It is proposed that we make the airport a high-end 301 and market it to Charter aircraft companies around the world which has never been done. We still have the opportunity for small to medium size cargo shipments. We presently have 1200 – 1600 flights per year. Please remember our airport is used for Medivac, Coast Guard, DNR, DFO, charters, private corporations and the Military. We are very lucky to have it and do not want to lose it. Like the train, once it is gone it won’t come back. Maybe someday we will be able to upgrade and have regular flight service again. I sure miss it!

Mayor Pam Mood initiated 100 Meals for 100 days in Yarmouth County. Meals are available once per day at a variety of locations for anyone who would like to attended. On Sunday the town councillors and I served up delicious bowls of chilli at the Lions Club. Thanks to Councillor Gerard LeBlanc and his team for providing the wonderful music. The schedule can be found on the Town of Yarmouth Website. All welcome!

Wow, special thanks to Madeleine and Howard Snow for the use of the Port Maitland Legion Hall for seniors’ activities on Wednesday afternoons. There was a great group today, playing music, games, putting together puzzles, colouring etc. Everyone is invited. They are having a Pot Luck on February 9th!! Thanks Phyllis Jane for organizing this wonderful community activity.

Please let me know if you have anything you wish to share and I can post on my FB page.

As this is the second night of the Festival of the Lights, I would like to wish all of my Jewish constituents a very Happy Hanukkah. Enjoy your latkes and celebrations.

In addition, I would like to wish everyone Merry Christmas and a happy, healthy New Year. Please enjoy time with friends and family and wish for peace on earth.

It has been a very busy month for MODY.

We have continued to work with the federal government to bring dopplar radar to South West Nova. The support from the neighbouring municipal units has been overwhelming.

The Cedar Lake and Forest Glen Rural Internet Projects are moving along well. Special thanks to Gerry Curry and the Cedar Lake Wireless Group for putting forth the application and successfully acquiring funds. They are up and running! Mark Blinn, our Economic Development Officer has been working diligently on the Forest Glen Project and they are full steam ahead.

The Phase Three Hebron Sidewalk Project is complete and we hope the citizens are enjoying the connection between the Highway 1 sidewalk and the trail.

We are waiting for the province to approve our Water Supply Upgrade lending program. Once approved it would allow home owners to borrow up to $10,000 from the municipality to dig or drill a new well by a certified well driller. Please note there is no guarantee of reaching water or the quality of the water. A lien would be put on your home until it is paid off. Please call the office for more information.

In November a motion was passed to assist the curling with funds required to purchase new equipment in the amount of $11,000.

We have had much discussion around the legalization of cannabis and will be continuing with this in the new year. July 1, 2018 is coming quickly and we have to be prepared with our own by-laws and policies.

We continue to support the construction of a cancer clinic in Yarmouth county and will hopefully be able to share our concerns during a meeting with Dr. Bethune, NSHA in the new year.

Many thanks to Don Houston and crew from the Department of Highways for getting our signs up in the Port Maitland area, repairing Quaco Road, and clear cutting the bushes on the Crosby Rd. In our meeting today we discussed waterline improvements to the road to the Sandford wharf. Don said the repairs could not be done until spring and until such time they would maintain the road this winter. Also in Sanford, there are issues of drainage near the boat builders shop. They will repair the shoulder again and get the water draining into the ditch. Please let me know if the road gets iced up again and I will give Don a call.

Port Maitland Beach and John’s Cove have consistently been the winners of YASTA’s best beach award. Today I made a motion to direct staff to research the installation of washrooms at John’s Cove. I know Councillor Cushing has already begun the process. In addition I asked that we partner with Department of Natural Resources to improve the facilities at Port Maitland Provincial Beach. The traffic is increasing at our beach and I know local visitors and tourists would appreciate a new comfort centre. It is the province’s mandate to increase tourist traffic and we need to insure we have the proper infrastructure in place.

Today we had a presentation from Aaron Colwell and Dave Doucette regarding connection of a local bus service to Kings Transit in Weymouth. They spoke very highly of the benefits of the service through the valley and would like to see Yarmouth added to the run. There would be a considerable cost to the Municipality for a service of this nature. I would love to hear your thoughts.

Please note that the top priorities of the Joint Councils continue to be the airport, the ferry terminal and the expansion of the Mariners Centre. The Board of the Airport is meeting regularly and have some significant decisions to make to improve the infrastructure. We have to look at ways to increase revenue. Remember it is still in regular use by Lifeline and Search and Rescue.The airport sees between 1300-1600 flights in and out each year.

Finally, the Municipality of the District of Yarmouth voted to accept a proposal from the Y’arc to purchase Arcadia School for the purpose of a new arts centre and theatre. A formal purchase and sale agreement is yet to be drawn up. The Municipality’s position from previous councils has been that they would support the Y’ARC once they found a location. As you will find out, I voted nay on the motion. While I agreed with the sale of the building, past experience and much research on regional planning lead me to the conclusion that an arts facility should be in the downtown core for economic development, accessibility, and tourism. I also felt that the Y’ARC group, who are highly talented and experienced in drama/theatre, should have consulted with the rest of the arts groups and societies prior to making the offer. Had the proposal been strictly for a theatre/ playhouse, I would have supported the motion.

Please get in touch if you have any concerns, would like to chat about local issues and let me know if you would like me to attend a function in your area. Best of luck to all the local lobster fishers in the area, be safe and have a successful season.

Good afternoon! Last night we attended a joint council meeting at the Municipality of Argyle building. We heard a presentation about the Mariner’s Centre/ YMCA/Curling Club. While they are looking for approval for the expansion there were still a few unanswered questions such as:

How much will they get for their own building?

What goals do they have for fund raising?

How much will the building cost to operate?

What is the expected contribution required by the three municipalities?

It is difficult to support this project until I know the answers to the questions.

While everyone loves new facilities, we have to know it will be supported and that we have the money to maintain it.

There was some discussion around a new arts and culture centre and how it is badly needed in the area. We have to keep in mind that we do need to think about kids in particular that are not athletic and make sure they have a place to express themselves which is affordable. Whatever gets built, operating expenses play a huge role. We are building for future generations. I always follow my dad’s philosophy of “do it right the first time!” So much to think about with regards to both facilities.

All three councils support acquiring Doppler Radar in South West Nova so we will continue to pursue with the federal government.

A meeting will be set up with Dr. Bethune and the councils to show support for having a full cancer unit in Yarmouth.

We had an excellent discussion on governance and priorities. The CAO’s will be drafting a memorandum of understanding for councils consideration on how to make decisions based on priorities and the ability to make those decisions at joint council meetings. At present, all decisions are made at individual council tables.

I have to say it was a pleasure to work with all the councillors, wardens and the mayor. We do have differences of opinion at times and that is okay we live in different areas. We all went away with a positive feeling about how well we can work together to do what is best for Yarmouth County.

It has been a busy September and I will do my best to give you the most important information from the month.

First of all I want to wish all of the Jewish members of the community L’Shana Tova, may you have a happy, healthy and safe 5777.

At the Committee of the Whole meeting, we had a presentation by NS Power. They will be moving towards the installation of smart meters in 2019. The advantage is that is allows customers to see their daily usage. They have come to the limit with what they can do with wind power for now. They can’t count on it for daily usage and will always need a back up source of energy. The Tusket project is getting an 18 million dollar investment. They are continuing to study the reports of the the Turbine project, having worked closely with fishing associations it doesn’t appear that the marine animals have been affected. More information will be available following their quarterly report.

The Council has received much support from neighbouring communities with regards to getting Doppler Radar in Yarmouth and will continue to pursue with the Federal Government.

Paul Comeau, Grant Thornton, did a review of the financial statements and I am happy to report that we had just over a million dollar surplus. Those funds are put into the capital budget to be used towards large projects for example the demolition of the Domtex Building. We have a number of possible projects in the works including repairing the runway at the airport!!!

Fall Clean up occurs this weekend. Check the link for information.

file:///Users/user/Downloads/FallCleanup2017.pdf

The first reading of the Water Supply Upgrade Lending Program By-Law W-1028-17 was passed to the second reading. Once it passes second reading, it has to be approved by the provincial government. It allows residents to borrow money from the Municipality to install a new drilled well and add the debt to your tax bill. This was in response to the drought we experienced last summer. For more information please call the office.

We also passed the VOLUNTEER EMERGENCY SERVICE PROVIDERS CAPITAL LOAN POLICY V-108-02, which increases the amount Fire Departments can borrow for new equipment from $150,000 to $250,000. We recognize the cost to purchase new equipment such as trucks has increased.

I made a motion to direct staff to look into live streaming or using Facebook live for our council meetings, motion was carried. Apparently Eastlink will be showing the recorded version starting at 9:30 pm on the Tuesday following the meeting. Not something I would want to watch at that time!!!! I feel you should be able to watch the meetings when they occur. Both the Municipality of Argyle and Town of Yarmouth show their meetings live!!

Sandford Drawbridge Update: Kevin Shaw, Harbour Authority and Denise Sullivan, Small Craft Harbours are working on a proposal to be presented to the Municipality of Yarmouth and the Provincial Government to request shared funding. I have support from our council and Zach Churchill will also look for funding. Denise said that are willing to share the costs. Hoping we can move quickly to make this happen.

New Highway 1 Signs: Bill Curry, Old Stones Cemetary, Hubert and Belle’s and Yacuik’s Antiques have purchased 4′ x1′ signs for a group display coming into the village. The first one is going up tomorrow on Highway 1, on the edge of Bill’s property. Thanks Alex and Jonathan for putting it up.There is room for more businesses so if anyone is interested please get in touch with me so I can provide the information of where we had them made. We are purchasing our own signs and are sharing the cost of the materials, permit and labour to put it up. We are continuing to pursue two more locations. We think this will help put us on the map and have people recognize us as a destination! We are only 15 minutes from town but some people think it is far!

I have passed on numerous road issues to Don Houston, TIR. I know how busy they are but am hoping some problems will be resolved. The list includes: The road to the Sandford wharf which gets flooded in the winter, the ditch near the boat builders where water flows onto the road and causes major ice issues, the lack of new signs on Highway 1 at the Richmond Road, the need for ditches on the Crosby Rd, filling in gravel on Spyder Street so people can walk and more!

Please, if you see ATV’s on the beach, please report to Department of Natural Resources since it is illegal. I have also requested more poop and scoop signs!!

That’s all for now. Please call if you have any questions or concerns 902-746-3384